


War of the Dragon Riders

by WhiteFlame3719



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Death, Explicit Language, Gun Violence, M/M, Pokemon Battle, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:56:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8976832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteFlame3719/pseuds/WhiteFlame3719
Summary: Military AU. Pallet Town is in flames. Two young boys are left orphaned. Raised by the military as soldiers, they seek revenge against those that destroyed their home. Dangers lurk around every corner as the armed soldiers battle against deadly monsters as they try to uncover the mystery of those they want revenge against. The Dragon Riders. Rated M for a reason. Currently being written.





	1. Burning

War of the Dragon Riders

AN: Hey guys! This is my first fanfic. A friend of mine started playing Pokemon GO and has never seen the show or played the games. Apparently she heard the background story of how Hypno likes to hypnotize humans and feast on their dreams and is now terrified. I stated how epic a book would be that actually showcased all of the tragic and terrifying abilities that Pokemon have since the anime shows basically no violence whatsoever. And here I am! This will be rated M because I clearly have no filter. Enjoy!

Summary: Military AU. Pallet Town is in flames. Two young boys are left orphaned. Raised by the military as soldiers, they seek revenge against those that destroyed their home. Dangers lurk around every corner as the armed soldiers battle against deadly monsters as they try to uncover the mystery of those they want revenge against. The Dragon Riders. Rated M for a reason.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.

Warnings: Language, blood, violence

 

Chapter 1 - Burning

Red. Burning. The sky is awash with darkness and flames. The moon and stars are shielded by heavy black clouds. A small brown haired boy, no more than four, trips over his large night shirt in the middle of the street. He fearfully looks around for someone. Anyone he recognizes.

Screaming. Tears. He can barely see through the smoke. Can barely hear over the cries of those he can’t seem to find.

The ground shakes as his house collapses nearby, a plume of fire rising where it once stood. He stumbles and struggles to stand back up. Small arms reach out to lift shaky legs as the ground seems to move under him again. He rushes aimlessly calling out for help.

He trips again. His feet hurt. He hadn’t been able to find his shoes in the confusion. The dirt is littered with sharp pieces of wood and chunks of rock. He jumps aside as a flaming beam falls onto where he was just lying. He quickly scrambles backward, terrified, confused and alone.

The boy hides behind a crate, curling into a ball as tears roll down his cheeks. His eyes burn from the smoke as he calls out for his mother. Where is she? Where is his father? His sister? Grandpa? Where did they go? They wouldn’t just leave him. Would they?

Tucking his head in towards his chest, he wraps his arms around his short legs and sobs. Why is this happening? It seemed like just a few minutes ago that he was being tucked into bed for the night with his favorite toy Squirtle. He sobs again as he realizes that Squirtle is gone too.

He just wants someone to find him. To take him away from this scary place that is too loud, too hot, too frightening. 

The ground shakes as the pounding of feet rushes right by the child’s hiding spot. He stiffens in fright. Over the sound of screams, he begins to hear a low rumbling. What is that?

Dark green eyes widen when he sees a long tail slither next to the crate and into the alley. A pokemon? Maybe it was his Grandpa’s!

The boy darts out from his hiding spot with a small, hopeful smile adorning his face. It has to be his Grandpa’s pokemon! Not many people in his small hometown had a pokemon. Not a town as little and remote as theirs. So it must be from his Grandpa’s lab.

The boy turns and sees nothing. He tries to peer through the smoke but it is so thick and his eyes hurt so bad. Confused, he turns back around looking for the owner of the tail he saw. In the depths of the dark alley, a pair of eyes glow red from the firelight across the street. 

He takes a small step forward as he softly calls out for his Grandpa. The eyes seem to narrow in response. 

This makes no sense to the child. Pokemon were his friends right? He played with them all the time at his Grandpa’s lab. Why was this pokemon hiding from him? Is it just as scared as he is?

A soft drizzle begins to fall as he slowly reaching his arm forward. He calls out again to the strange pair of eyes. “Don’t be afraid. We can go together. We can find the other pokemon and save everyone. I won’t hurt you.”

The boy shuffles forward. Just as he sees the eyes to glow bright, he is hit by some form of energy that shoots him back across the street and into the crate that was once his shield.

The small child moans pitifully as he tries to keep his eyes open. Everything hurts. His mind is a jumble of thoughts. How did he get over here? What happened to the pokemon?

He slowly lifts his head to look back into the alley. Smoke pours out as a large shadow emerges. Giant claws scrape against the stone. A thick tail swings behind and knocks over the wall of a crumbling building. The rain itself seems to avoid the creature as it burns off into steam near its skin. It looks down on the pitiful child at its feet. It rears up on its hind legs as it unleashes a terrible roar from its maw. 

The boy slumps as the edge of his vision is tinted with black. He doesn’t want to die. Not yet. Not by this monster. Not alone.

He can’t feel anything anymore. Not the rain on his face or the pain in his limbs. He hears his name in the distance. He tries to call for help but the only sound that comes is a weak gasp.

A flash of lightning illuminates a set of powerful wings that are slowly spreading out from the shadow. A figure is hunched over the beast. The boy only has one last thought before the darkness swallows him whole. ‘Who would ride on top of a dragon?’

With a muffled scream, a young man jerks awake. He starts to flail in panic when he realizes that something warm is covering his mouth and nose. He can’t breathe. The sheets are wrapped tight around his waist and twisted around his legs. He is trapped.

“Gary!” A harsh whisper breaks through his panic. “Calm down! It’s just me. You were having another nightmare. Just relax. You are going to wake the squad leader at this rate.”

Gary rips the callused hand from his face. He turns and glares at the figure, his partner he realizes, sitting next to him on his bed. 

“Ash?! What the fuck?!”

“Weren’t you listening? You were having a nightmare. You woke me up so I figured I should help you out before you got in trouble.” Ash shrugs and blinks at the brunet, as if in confusion at the sudden anger. 

Gary just stares at the raven haired man with his mouth slightly hanging open. “So you decided to cover my mouth with your hand? You were smothering me!”

Ash crosses his arms over his chest and scoffs in response. “Well I tried shaking you and I called your name a few times, but you wouldn’t wake up so I just covered your mouth instead. I figured you would wake up when you started running low on air.”

Gary huffs in annoyance. It is way too early to deal with his partner and his oddness. As he flops back down onto the mattress, the brunet refuses to reward his partner with eye contact and stares at the ceiling. He runs his large hand through his sweaty hair and scratches the lengthy scar across his torso.

A slight prickling sensation alerts him that he is being watched. He glances to the side to see sad, brown eyes locked on his chest. His scar. His battle wound. His reminder to never give up on his revenge.

Huffing in annoyance for being blatantly stared at (since it is clearly not his fault that his shirt is probably somewhere on the floor), Gary glances at the clock next to the wall. 5:27 AM. Great. He could have slept for another half hour if it wasn’t for that damn dream again.

He returns his gaze to the ceiling and revels in the quiet, early hours on the morning next to his closest friend. No screaming. No tears. Just the light snores of his comrades next to him.

Ash begins to fidget next to him after a few minutes. Gary scoffs quietly. Figures. He never could sit still for very long. Especially on stealth missions. 

Gary jolts from his inner musings when Ash quietly gets his attention. “Was it the attack?” 

He didn’t need to clarify. Gary knew which attack he was asking about.

Gary remains silent for a while. Flashes of his dream begin to come back to him. Fire. Screaming. Tears. Pain. He turns away from the raven before mumbling a soft “yes.” It has been almost 14 years since the day that dragons came and destroyed everything they held dear. 

Ash remains quiet for a little while longer. Gary glanced over once more to see those large, black eyes glazed over, most likely revisiting the past that Gary had just escaped in his dreams. Gary closes his eyes in an attempt to squeeze in a few more precious minutes of sleep until the morning bell goes off. 

It seemed that no more than a few seconds had gone by when Gary feels a poke at his side. “Come on then,” said Ash. “Might as well shower and go get some breakfast since we are up anyway. We don’t want to wake anyone else up and I know you won’t fall back asleep after that dream.”

Gary opens his eyes as Ash quietly stands up and walks over to his own bed. He grabs his training uniform before leaning against the wall, waiting for him. Partners have to travel together in the compound after all.

Gary groans as he slowly rolls off his bed. He arches his back and stretches. He feels disgusting. He is covered in sweat from that nightmare and of course his stomach is growling. How unattractive.

After also grabbing his black uniform, he fell into step with Ash on the way to the showers. Glancing out the window, he sees the horizon is slowing brightening with the start of a new day. Darkness. Flames. Burning.

Just a few more days. Just a few more days until he finally graduates. Then he will be an official League soldier and will be able to carry weapons and a pokemon team of his own choosing. He will hunt them down for what they have done. He will destroy those Dragon Riders.

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

Favorite/follow/review please!

Next up: Chapter 2 - Reward


	2. Reward

AN: I have the first 33 chapters written already so I will post them in small groups over the next few days. The first few chapters are just to set up the characters and the AU world I have created. Chapters will get longer and more epic soon! Promise! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.

Warnings: Language

 

Chapter 2 – Reward

Ash sits down at one of the long, wooden tables in the empty Mess Hall. He and his partner are some of the first cadets awake and ready for food, unsurprising due to their early wake up. With a smile on his face, Ash cheekily stares after his partner who walks away to pick up their morning meals. On the way back from the showers, he somehow managed to convince Gary to go get his share since he was the one who woke him up in the first place. However, Ash has a strong suspicion that the brunet only agreed to shut him up.

Not that that should be surprising. He has gotten on Gary’s nerves for years. They were even rivals in their younger years before they were made mission partners by the higher ups due to their outstanding progress. What did they expect? We kept trying one-up each other. Of course we would pull ahead from the others and be put in the advanced classes eventually.

Ash jerks from his reverie by a tray dropping onto the table in front of him. 

“What’s with the goofy grin, Ashy-boy?”

Ash lightly glares at Gary for the nickname he graciously bestowed upon him when they younger. Well after that stupid nickname, I just have to piss him off now. “I was just thinking of how much I beat your ass in the Battle simulations.”

Gary scoffs as he digs into his breakfast. “Well then your memory is fucked up Ashy-boy because I clearly outclass you in every battle we have had with whatever pokemon we were assigned that day.”

“Not true! I checked the rankings yesterday and we are tied!”

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter since you suck at written exams too.”

“Exams are pointless! It is not like we are just going to stop in the middle of the battle and whip out our protractors so we could measure angles of attack and all that! I go off instinct!”

Ash stands partially up from the bench and strikes the table with both hands, causing Gary to pause mid-bite with an eyebrow raised. 

“That is because you are supposed to study enough that it becomes second nature loser.” 

Ash glares hard at the man across from him as he sits back down. With a smirk on his face, Gary continues: “Besides, final assessments are a few days away. You need to pass in order to get into the top 4. Only they get a starter pokemon before they leave the Base. The other grunts have to find their own.”

Ash slumps into his seat at the reminder as he picks at the crumbs left on his plate. “I know. I know. I was just going to go all out in the Battle Simulations and get by on just that. I know there is no chance of passing the exam.”

Taking pity on Ash’s now depressed mood, Gary takes both of their trays back to be cleaned. Sitting back at their table, they watch in companionable silence as the other cadets file in for food before classes begin.

At the sound of the bell, the duo walk off to their morning Weapons class. Then Battle Strategy and Team Formations before having a quick lunch. The rest of the day was occupied by Military Law Enforcement followed by several hours of Battle Simulations and dinner.

An exhausted Gary trails after his raven-haired companion on the way back to the Senior Barracks. Seriously. Where does he get all that damn energy from? He is practically skipping. 

Ash is in fact walking quite quickly with a bounce in his step. He beat his partner 11-9 in Battle Simulations today and thus bribed Gary to tutor him for the written exam. There was no way he was going to be outside the top 4 now. His partner is the grandson of the renowned Professor Oak after all and thus has almost a perfect score on each exam.

Ash crosses his arms behind his head and looks up towards the ceiling as he slows his pace to allow Gary to catch up. Seeing the inquisitive look in his brown eyes, Gary sighs. “What is going through that thick skull of yours now?”

Ash ignores the jibe in order to ask his question. “Hey Gary. If Pallet was never attacked and you never joined the military, what would you want to do? You are smart enough to be a researcher like Professor Oak.” Ash trails off as he notices the look on his friend’s face. Gary’s body is taut with barely restrained fury as his green eyes blaze with hate.

After a few tense seconds, Gary responds tersely: “It doesn’t matter Ash. What’s done is done. They nearly destroyed Pallet in the course of a single night and killed our families and friends. They will pay for what they have done.”

Ash decides not to push the brunet any further lest they get into a fight. Ash lost his mom in the attack and was left orphaned since his dad’s whereabouts are unknown. However, he knew Gary lost both parents and his sister. While Professor Oak managed to pull through without major injury, he had too much destruction to fix at the lab to take care of Gary properly.

So the two young 4 year olds wound up at the League’s orphanage in Viridian City. However, due to the increasing frequency of attacks all over Kanto, the League was forced to turn the orphanage into The Academy to train young orphans into either soldiers or workers. The duo decided to take the path of soldiers in order to get revenge for Pallet Town. Plus he would be able to have his own pokemon!

A small smile graces his face as he wondered which pokemon would pick him once he entered the top 4 after final assessments. He has worked with all of the starters in the past and can’t choose which one he likes the most. Thankfully, due to League rules, the starter picks the master to avoid confrontation over the same pokemon. 

He sneaks a peek at his partner to see that the brunet has calmed down enough that his hands were not clenched into fists anymore and deems the waters safe to swim in again. 

“So about that study session?” Ash says with a grin. Gary sighs loudly as they sit on Ash’s bed. Despite his partner’s obvious reluctance, he has a feeling that once they get started, Gary won’t let him stop until he gets everything right. After all, the top 4 are paired off and given the best missions after graduation. It only made sense that they stuck together now after everything they have been through together so far. Right?

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

Favorite/follow/review please!

Next up: Chapter 3 – New Partners?


	3. New Partners?

AN: Longer chapter for you guys. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.

Warnings: Language

 

Chapter 3 - New Partners?

Tutoring Ash is tedious. Gary just can’t believe someone can be so dense all the time. They are both in the military for crying out loud! It should not be this difficult. It is well past lights out but due to the upcoming finals, the higher ups allowed the cadets to study into the night.

Gary explains once again the fastest way to dismantle and clean their guns. Ash stares back at him with his brows squinting in confusion. Gary sighs loudly. This is pointless. He won’t remember anything unless he does it hands on anyway.

“Ash, why don’t we just go to the weapons vault tomorrow between classes and practice on the training guns?”

A brilliant smile adorns his partner’s face at the suggestion. “Sure!” Ash responds before letting loose a loud yawn and falling backwards onto the bed. “Hey Gary? Which pokemon are you going to pick for your team selection after we graduate?”

“That depends on if we make it into the Four and get one of the battle trained starters.” He explains, “Depending on which one chooses you, it changes your entire team in order to have a balanced unit.”

Ash sits in silence contemplating what the other said. Gary locks eyes with his partner who sits up straight as if sensing his change in mood.

“No matter what though, I will get an Ice type. They are the only ones that can cause any significant damage to the demons.” 

Gary turns to glare at the ceiling as the rage once again washes over him. After a few minutes, he feels Ash give him a slight shove to let him know that he wants to go to bed. Gary rises and plops back onto his own bed. He stares at his hands in silence as his mind tumbles over the horrors of his past. 

A soft, hesitant whisper interrupts Gary’s thoughts as if his partner knew that what he was about to say will upset him. “You can also get a rock type you know. Most dragons are flyers.” A figure hunched over a beast. A set of wings spreading out into the night. Riders. 

Ash turns over to leave Gary to his thoughts. Maybe he will add a rock type to his team. It would certainly be satisfying to see them be crushed under thousands of pounds of rubble. Gary closes his eyes as he falls into an exhausted, restless sleep. 

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

The next few days pass in a blur for Ash. Between the studying and extra drills he had to accomplish for their advanced classes, he can barely remember time passing. In his exhaustion, he ended up passing out after his finals and slept on until the next morning. Graduation day. 

Ash looks down at his new official League uniform. He goes over each piece with a critical eye. Well fitted cargo pants. Tight, long sleeved, Kevlar shirt. Sleeveless, zip-up jacket with zip-up pockets. Heavy combat boots. And a thick belt to hold his pokemon team, sword, and a few pouches. 

Ash grimaces at the lack of color. Why does there always have to be so much black? The only color that could be found are the red strings and edges of his jacket and the metallic silver of his belt. Geez.

At the sound of the assembly bell, Ash frantically throws his clothes on and rushes out the door to find his partner. He sees Gary waiting for him and joins him to walk to the Parade Ground with the rest of the soldiers on Base.

His fellow graduating cadets join him in front of a small wooden stage. They stand at attention as they wait for their Commander to make an appearance. The younger cadets and ranking officers fall line behind them.

The air itself seems to stand till as a tall man walks up onto the stage. Short black hair gleams in the sun. His steps thunder against the boards as he walks towards the middle and turns to face them. Not a single sound can be heard as he stares out at the 30 graduating cadets before him. His eyes are a pitch black that strikes Ash frozen. Not a single hint of emotion can be seen on his face. His arms cross behind his back and he waits. 

Ash holds his breath at the intimidating figure before him. He is wearing the same uniform as the new soldiers but it just seems to belong on him. Hell it practically looks painted onto him. He really needs to work out some more if he ever wants to look like that. 

Ash begins to feel dizzy. He can’t take this. This is it. The Commander is going to announce the Four any second now. Sweat begins to form on his brow as Ash refrains from fidgeting. Why can’t he just tell them already?! 

The Commander takes a step forward. “Soldiers.” Everyone immediately straightens in anticipation. Finally. “Today marks your first day as official League soldiers. Once this ceremony is completed, you will have the rest of the day to plan your team. You and your partner will leave after breakfast tomorrow morning. You will be given one month to find and prepare your team before you must report to your assigned stations. Is this understood?” The Commander was nothing if not succinct

“Yes, sir!”

Once again, the Commander scans the crowd. “As I am sure all of you are aware, the Four who scored the highest in the class will be gifted a partner pokemon as a reward for their hard work. They will also receive transportation to a destination of their choice to aid in their journey. In order to increase the success of missions, future teams will be built around the Four since they have the highest chance of success.”

A clipboard is pulled from behind the Commander’s back. “Come forward if your name is called.”

A wave of excitement rushes through the graduates. Ash casts a quick glance at Gary who seems calm as ever with his trademark smirk on his face. Bastard. He has no worries about his ranking. These could be the last few minutes of our partnership and he isn’t concerned at all! In fact, he looks happy!

“Jessica Rochester. Fourth”

Ash’s brown eyes widen. There are not very many females on the soldier-side of the Academy, so it is quite shocking to have one make it into the Four. His eyes follow the tall redhead as she walks onto the stage. How can she even fight with hair that goes past her ass? Doesn’t that get in the way? Her blue eyes stare across her comrades’ heads as she stands at the ready next to the Commander. 

“James Morgan. Third.”

As the man climbs onto the stage, Ash can’t help but to snicker silently. While the man is tall, about an inch or two taller than his soon to be partner, his hair is BLUE. Why the hell does he have blue hair? Did someone prank him or something? They will certainly make a colorful pair. 

Green eyes lock with brown. Ash registers the flat look on the man’s face. Shit. Did he notice that I was laughing at him? Ash quickly breaks eye contact and looks back toward the Commander once more.

He freezes as he realizes that there are only two names left to be called and one of them will be Gary without a doubt. Maybe he didn’t do as well on the tests as he thought he did...He was able to answer every question easily enough...Gary wouldn’t have purposefully taught me the wrong material would he?

Gary elbows him in his side with a smirk on his face. What the fuck was that for? Ash turns to glare at him as he is startled from his thoughts.

“-Second. For highest overall Battle Simulation score on record.”

Great. He missed the name of Gary’s new partner. Ash feels a rush of sadness and disappointment overcome him as he glances around waiting for the soldier to take the stage. When Gary elbows him harder, he hisses out in pained whisper, “Knock it off Gary! What the hell?!”

“Get up there already Ashy-boy. The Commander looks pissed that he has to wait on you.”

Ash’s neck turns sharply towards the stage, brown eyes wide in disbelief to see the Commander’s black eyes boring into him. He stumbles forward onto the stage and takes his place next to the blue haired man. His mind is blank in amazement. He actually made it? And second no less? With a new record in Battle Simulations? This has to be a dream. 

Ash glances over to see that Gary is still smirking up at him. He offers a smile in return.

“Gary Oak. First. For highest scores in Weapons, Battle Strategy and Military Law Enforcement.”

Ash’s grin widens as his now permanent partner walks up next to him. Of course Gary aced every exam. Damn genius. His eyes roam over the soldiers in front of him. His classmates. Younger cadets. All of them gazing up at the Four with awe and respect. His instructors nod their heads in approval behind the young recruits. 

The Commander turns to face the Four as he once again folds his hands behind his back. “Congratulations on your hard work soldiers. Are you prepared to receive your new partners?”

“Yes, sir!”

A soldier walks on stage and presents a small box to the Commander who tosses four small objects in front of the Four. Bright light emerges from the spheres and begin to take shape of a blue turtle, red lizard, a green bulb, and a yellow mouse. Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Pikachu emerge from their holdings with their shock collars around their necks. 

Ash recognizes them all. He has battled with each of them just yesterday after all. I thought they would’ve taken the collars off by now. It is not like they will be needed once they are off the Base.

“Starters, you may now pick your trainer.” 

The pokemon glance briefly at the Commander before eyeing the Four in front of them. Several seconds pass as one side eyes the other. Finally, Squirtle waddles over to stand next to Gary as Bulbasaur walks to the blue haired man.

Ash starts to fidget. The other two are just staring at him and the girl. Do they not want us? Will we be rejected?

Charmander takes a hesitant step towards Ash. A grin stretches across Ash’s face in hope of convincing the small fire pokemon towards him. 

As Charmander takes another step forward, a spark is let loose. The fire type freezes as Pikachu darts in front of it to sit at Ash’s feet. Small sparks of electricity are being released from its cheeks as it glares back at the Charmander.

The small red lizard hesitates once again before walking over to the redhead. Ash blinks down in confusion at the yellow mouse who glances at him briefly before turning around to look over the crowd. 

Ash looks up to Gary who shrugs his shoulders in response. He has no idea what just happened either. 

As he looks back over to the Charmander, he sees the small creature looking back at him with a sad, defeated look on its face. Is the little guy that upset with me? Ash’s gaze is drawn up to the fire pokemon’s trainer to see the redhead glaring at him. What the hell. Whatever that was it wasn’t his fault.

Ash watches in silence as the young woman looks down at the pokemon at her feet, blue eyes blazing with anger. The pokemon seems to curl further into itself. Ash turns back towards his new pokemon when he feels a tail brush against his leg. Right. Gotta stand at attention.

The Commander moves to the middle of the stage once more. “Presenting Team Alpha. Gary Oak and Squirtle with Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. And Team Beta. James Morgan and Bulbasaur with Jessica Rochester and Charmander.”

The Four and their new partners salute. The grunt who brought the box presents each of the Four with the pokeballs to return their new pokemon. 

Once handed his pokeball, Ash looks down to call back his new companion but freezes at the scared look on its face. Is it scared of him? But that makes no sense since it chose him...

He watches in silence as the rodent glances quickly at the Commander. Ash glances up to the see the man quietly watching them from the side with a stony look on his face. 

Pikachu looks back up at Ash before looking down at the ground. It looks resigned now...Ash turns to ask Gary to find that the brunet was already off the stage. He will have to call it out later to try to find out what is bothering it.

“Pikachu, return.”

A white light engulfs the small creature before him and flies back into the red and white ball. Once the ball shrinks to a smaller size, Ash attaches it onto his belt and bounds off the stage with a smile reattached to his face to meet up with Gary

“Looks like you are stuck with me now.” Gary rolls his green eyes before slinging an arm over his companion’s shoulder.

“No thank you Ashy-boy? We both know that you were only up there thanks to my awesomeness at tutoring.”

Ash grins wider at his friend before slapping him on his back. “What are you talking about? The Commander said it was all thanks to my battle skills! I told you that it would work out!”

“Please,” Gary scoffs. “You didn’t even hear him call your name called since you were freaking out so much.”

“Whatever Gary! It doesn’t matter anymore. We each have our own pokemon now and since we get to stay as partners, they will most likely assign us to Pallet Town.”

A small smile emerges on Gary’s face. He must miss his Grandpa. He hasn’t seen him in years. 

Ash smiles in return. His friend’s smiles are rare. All he usually gets is a glare or a smirk thrown his way. “Thank you, Gary.” 

The small smile widens.

Ash looks down at the small ball on his belt. His very first pokemon. His journey has now officially begun. 

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

Favorite/follow/review please!

Next up: Chapter 4 - Leaving


	4. Leaving

AN: I have some interesting plans for Team Rocket but they won’t pop back up again for a few chapters. Let me know if there are any grammar errors (I am an engineer. I don’t know how to actually write things that aren’t lab reports). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.

Warning: They like to swear.

 

Chapter 4 - Leaving

Gary and Ash walk into the Mess Hall and head towards their new table, the table for the Four. The other two are already seated and are digging into the lavish spread of meat, cheese and fruit. Ash takes a seat next to the blue haired man while Gary slides into the remaining chair between his partner and the redhead. 

Ash grabs everything in reach and puts it on his plate. Gary slowly starts to eat his food as he quietly observes the other two. They haven’t said a word since their names were picked. How weird. 

The brunet watches as his partner tries to engage in conversation with the colorful duo but can’t seem to get more than one word answers to his innocent questions. Suspicious. They should be overjoyed right now. They each have a pokemon.

Ash turns to Gary with a confused tilt to his brow. Gary gives a small shake of his head. We will talk about it later Ash. They are making me anxious. We shouldn’t trust them.

Ash seems to understand his silent message as he turns back to his food with a slight pout on his face. He gives up chatting and begins to fill his bottomless stomach. Gary looks up to see a quick glare from the woman directed at his partner. What the fuck?

Gary can also feel the stares at his back. He can hear the attempted quiet conservations of those at the nearby tables. They are beginning to notice as well. Gary quickly finishes the rest of his meal before grabbing Ash’s arm and pulling him out of his seat. The duo quickly walk to the exit of the Mess Hall before they receive a small bowl of pokemon food to give their new partners. 

“What the hell was their problem?” Ash asks once they are out into the hallway.

“I don’t know. Something is off about them. They haven’t said a word since they made it into the Four and don’t seem happy about it at all. Plus that redhead has been glaring at you when you aren’t looking. They can’t be trusted.”

Ash flinches. He glances behind them to check if they are being followed before leaning closer to the brunet. “She was glaring at me during graduation too. You know when Charmander almost chose me? I don’t understand any of that. Plus Pikachu looked scared when I went to recall him. But after basically almost fighting to be my starter, I don’t know why it would be scared of me…” Ash trails off in sadness and confusion.

Gary pats Ash’s shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up. “I’m don’t know Ashy-boy but let’s just avoid them for now. And you can try talking to Pikachu once you feed him.”

Walking into their barracks, which is thankfully empty for once, the duo sit down on Gary’s bed and set the bowls of pokemon food in front of them. Gary reaches for his pokeball on his belt as he sees Ash copy his action out of the corner of his eye.

“Well here goes nothing.” The raven states before tapping the small button on the device releasing a stream of white light. The light condenses into the form of the yellow mouse. Pikachu takes a quick look around the barracks before sniffing the bowl in front of him and looking up at Ash. It tilts its head to the side in question.

“Go ahead and eat buddy. You must be hungry.”

Pikachu blinks twice before it begins to eat. Gary turns back to his pokeball and lets his own monster out. Squirtle immediately begins to chow down the food at its feet. They must really be hungry.

Gary rests his hand on the back of Squirtle’s shell as it eats. He turns to see if Ash is having any progress with Pikachu. The sight that meets his eyes causes him to snort in laughter. Ash keeps trying to reach out to pet his new pokemon who is somehow able to avoid his hand and still keep eating at the same time. Impressive agility.

Ash looks over with a plea for help etched into his face. Gary returns the look with a smirk and shakes his head. All yours Ashy-boy. You have to be the one to bond with him. 

“Hey buddy? You okay? Is this about what happened at the graduation ceremony?”

The pokemon’s ears twitched in response as it looked cautiously up at its new trainer. Ash relaxes a bit as his pokemon stops jumping around.

“Did it have something to do with Charmander?”

The rodent glares off to the side before looking pointedly at the ball still in Ash’s hand. Ash glances down with a look of confusion on his face. Even Squirtle takes a break from his lunch to see what is going on. The pokemon share a brief conversation before they both look at their trainers and point to Ash’s pokeball.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it? Do you Gary?” Gary shakes his head as he looks back and forth between the two pokemon and the pokeball. Suddenly, Pikachu darts out and spins around. The pokeball is launched across the room from a powerful tail whip to Ash’s hand. Ash cries out in shock and pain. Gary is on his feet and reaching toward his partner before the ball even stops rolling. 

“Ash! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. Just more surprised than hurt really.” He replies as he gently strokes his injured hand. A red welt is already forming on the back of it. Pikachu sits at his feet glaring at the pokeball on the floor. 

“Ash...I don’t think your Pikachu likes to be in a pokeball.”

Ash turns to look at him before looking down at his pokemon who squeaks in agreement. His eyes roam back over to the ball as his brown eyes seem to glaze over in thought.

“How about we make a deal buddy? You can’t just wander around the Base. It is against the rules and I don’t want you to be punished for that. Once we leave tomorrow morning, I won’t force you into the pokeball if you don’t want to go. You can stay out and walk with us but until then you have to return to it alright?”

Ash watches the pokemon with a hopeful look on his face as it contemplates his offer. The mouse slowly approaches him. Ash tenses as if sensing he is about to be attacked again. Pikachu leans over to sniff the raven’s injured hand before giving it a soft lick in apology. A bright smile overtakes Ash’s face as he reaches down to pet his new friend. Glad that is settled. 

Gary turns back to his Squirtle who has finished his meal in the meantime and is attempting to crawl into Gary’s lap. Gary picks him up and begins to pet him as well. 

Twenty minutes later, both pokemon are snoozing in their trainer's’ arms. Soldiers begin to trickle in and immediately stop all conversation at the sight of the pokemon. 

“It’s alright. They are out cold.” Ash tells them. They walk in and take a brief look at the new members of the barracks before heading to their beds to begin their team selections that were due before they were allowed to leave. 

“Ash, let’s recall them now while they are asleep just in case Pikachu decides to throw a fit if he wakes up.” 

Ash looks down at the electric mouse in his arms with a conflicted look in his large brown eyes. Gary sighs before recalling Squirtle and putting him back on his belt. He slides out of bed and walks across to the room to pick up the pokeball and shoves it into Ash’s face. Ash quietly thanks him and recalls Pikachu. The raven stares at the ball for a few moments before he too puts the ball onto his belt. 

“Come on Ashy-boy. We have to get our team selections done.”

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

Four hours later and Ash still hasn’t managed to pick his team. A pitiful groan is heard from the raven’s bed. 

“Garyyyy. How the hell are you done already? This is impossible!”

Gary sighs in annoyance. He was having such a lovely daydream of slicing through dragons before his partner had to ruin it.

“You had to write down a team for your final. Just use that one.”

“But this is the real deal! It has to be perfect! This is impossible with only being able to choose six pokemon!”

Gary rolls onto his side to watch his partner flop backwards onto his bed with a huff. “Who said you can only have six?”

Ash bolts upright and turns to stare at him with wide brown eyes and his mouth slightly open. “What?”

“I literally just taught this to you like three days ago Ashy-boy. Did your small brain forget already?” Gary smirks at the offended look that crosses the raven’s face.

“That’s impossible! I would have remembered that and there are only six slots on our belts!”

Ash points to the belt at his waist as if it can back up his argument. Does he seriously not remember? This was what we were first taught once we moved up to the advanced classes.

“Why do you think there is room for attachable pouches on our belt-and don’t you dare say medicine because I will punch you if you do. You know there is a specialized spot for that in the packs” Gary quickly adds at the look that crosses Ash’s face. 

The raven pouts and remains silent. Gary lets him stew until he begins to fidget. Serves him right for having me tutor him and forgetting every damn thing once the exams are over.

At the pleading look in brown eyes, the brunet yields. “Only a maximum 6 pokemon are allowed for any official match but you are allowed to carry more. Your trainer card will prevent you from using more than 6 in an official battle by sending a signal to the pokeballs to remain closed once the limit is reached. But we are allowed to carry more.”

Brown eyes widen in amazement. He really did forget. Asshole. Gary also notices other soldiers look at him curiously. They must not know this either. Does anyone pay attention in class anymore?

“Besides, as soldiers we are expected to carry more than six for any battlefield situations. And since we are part of the Four, we have a pokemon who already knows how to do training drills. Do you see where I am going with this Ashy-boy?”

Brown eyes somehow widen even more as his words are finally processed. “Pikachu can train the other pokemon.” He whispers.

“Exactly. So since we don’t have a limit on how many we have to carry or a restriction on what we can capture due to our military license, we can literally catch anything we want.”

“That still doesn’t help me pick out a team.” Ash grumbles.

Gary closes his eyes and sighs loudly. He just HAD to get the most stubborn human alive as his partner. 

“Just use whatever six you put on your exam Ash. The higher-ups only make us fill out the form so we have a place to start out journey. They don’t want us randomly walking around for a month without a plan in mind.”

Ash hums in agreement as he quickly fills out his sheet. Just as he is about to lay down, one of their instructors burst into the barracks and lays his eyes on the duo.

“Oak. Ketchum. You are wanted in the Commander’s office. Immediately. Bring your things.”

Their instructor waits patiently for the two to gather the few possessions they have. Gary’s grabs his necklace that he got from Gramps as well as the top red half of a broken pokeball. That is what got them into trouble and made them partners in the first place. 

Gary placed his trinkets in his pocket before looking over to see Ash grab an old black cap that belonged to his missing father as well as his half of their pokeball. He watches his partner slip his possessions into his jacket before moving over to the door.

The duo walks silently behind their instructor on the way to the Commander’s office. I wonder what he could want. He saw us just a few hours ago. Did he suspect that we would have trouble with Ash’s Pikachu? Or is it about those other two?

Gary’s mind races from one thought to another. He almost runs right into the officer's back as he stops abruptly outside the office.

Gary follows Ash in and sits down in the last available chair. He notices the other members of the Four are already seated before the desk and are waiting patiently to see why they were summoned.

The Commander’s desk is spotless. Not a pencil out of place and all of the papers are stacked neatly in one pile. The man himself is watching them silently with his hands clasped on top of the stack of papers. 

“You wanted to see us sir?” Ash asks politely.

The man sits silently for a few more seconds before he leans back into his chair.

“Yes. You are leaving the Base immediately. The Four always leave before dinner to avoid any bloodshed. Are you team assignments completed?”

The soldiers’ eyes widen in shock. Bloodshed? What the fuck?

“What are you talking about Commander Sir? What bloodshed?” James asks.

The cold black gaze takes turns locking onto each of their eyes. “A few years ago, a riot broke out among the lower ranked soldiers. They wanted the starters for themselves and severely injured the Four to get to them. They were dealt with accordingly. The Four now leave before dinner to avoid another incident.” 

Silence.

“Are there any other questions or can I continue?” The Commander asks with a slight glare upon his face.

When no questions were spoken, he continued. “You will each be given a backpack that contains everything you need for your journey. You will also be given weapons. A vehicle will take you to the Viridian City Pokemon Center where each team will have a room for the night. A chopper will pick you up to take you to your chosen destination at 0800 tomorrow morning. Am I understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Dismissed.”

The Four rise and exit the building. A jeep waits for them on the parade ground. The redhead gets into the front with the driver while the young men squish into the back.

The drive itself was a short, quiet one. The Pokemon Center was not that far from the Academy so that training pokemon can be treated quickly. 

Once they exit the vehicle, they are each given a large backpack, semi-automatic rifle and Beretta M9 sidearm. The driver also hands out double-edged, straight bladed longswords and Ka-Bars. The soldier then salutes the Four before getting back in the jeep and driving off. 

Gary looks down at the goods in his arms before glancing at the bewildered faces of his companions.

“Guess we better head in.” Gary mumbles.

He turns to walk into the Pokemon Center. He hears the other follow behind him as he heads to the front desk. The woman behind the counter has long pink hair that seems to form two loops in the back. She was wearing a short pink dress with a white apron as well as a white hat with the standard medic cross decorating its front. 

The woman, Joy according to the nametag, give Gary a smile. “Hello and welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center. My name is Nurse Joy. I take it you and your friends need a room?”

“Yes ma’am. Two please.”

“Do you have any pokemon that need treatment?”

“No but is there somewhere nearby that we can get some dinner?”

“There is a cafeteria right down the hall! Service is complimentary for the military so don’t worry about paying.”

Gary graces the chipper nurse a grateful smile as she hands them their room keys. They then make their way upstairs. 

Gary follows Ash into their room for the night. Flicking on the lights he notices two twin beds on the right and a small bathroom and desk to the left. 

Ash walks over to the bed closest to the window before dropping all of his possessions onto it. “I am gonna shower real quick before we eat.”

As Ash disappears into the bathroom, Gary begins to dump out everything in his backpack. Spreading everything out on top of the blanket, he takes stock of what they were given: rifle, sidearm, knife, sword, sleeping bag, small set of cooking equipment, utensils, nonperishable food, two large empty water bottles, two extra long-sleeved shirts, extra pair of cargo pants, few pairs of socks and boxers, another sleeveless jacket, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, first aid kit, rope, flashlight, binoculars, solar powered communicator, ammo, sack of pokeballs, bag of collars, his trainer and military cards, bag of pokemon food, some potions, small pouches for his belt and a small stack of money. 

“That’s quite a haul. I am surprised they gave us so much. And of course everything is all black.”

Gary looks behind him to find a shirtless Ash with water dripping onto the towel hanging from around his neck. Why does he never feel the need to get dressed completely after a shower? It’s distracting. 

With a slight glare, he answers his partner. “It is probably because we are part of the Four. Since we already have a pokemon, and a trained one at that, as well as transportation, they expect us to head somewhere dangerous to get some strong pokemon as soon as possible.”

Ash hums in acknowledgment and glances over the objects again on before taking the towel off his neck and rubbing it against his wet hair. 

Gary stares briefly before he begins to repack his bag and puts away his trinkets. He leaves out a pair of boxers and underwear, both water bottles, toothbrush and toothpaste, his ID cards, money, communicator, and small bags for later. 

Once Ash finishes drying off, he copies Gary before putting his half of the pokeball in his bag. The duo then head off in search of food.

A half hour later, Ash and Gary return to their room with full stomachs. Gary heads off to take his shower. He changes back into his boxers and shirt once he is clean. They aren’t that dirty anyway and it is not like they have too many spares. 

After brushing his teeth, he emerges from the bathroom to find Ash feeding Pikachu on his bed. Gary pours some food into a bowl and calls out Squirtle to have some dinner as well.

He smiles at his happy pokemon munching away on its dinner before he prepares for their early departure in the morning. He lays his clothes off to the side for easy access. He places his Trainer and Military ID into one of the small attachable bags. He then fills up both water bottles in the sink and puts them in the side pockets. Grabbing his belt, he attaches the small bags that would hold his money and bag of shrunken pokeballs. 

The brunet pauses as he looks down at his supplies. I think that is everything. He looks down as he feels a cold, slimy hand on his leg. Looks like Squirtle is done with dinner.

Gary picks up his pokemon and carries him into the bathroom. Geez he must weigh 20 pounds already. I can’t even imagine how heavy he is going to be once he evolves.

Gary fills up the bathtub to allow Squirtle to have some play time while he talks to his partner. Squirtle squeals in delight once he is placed into the water. Gary smiles at the happy pokemon.

“Don’t make a mess or you are cleaning it up alright?”

The turtle salutes in agreement and proceeds to dive under the water. Gary walks back into the room to see his partner cleaning both of the pokemon’s bowls and putting them away. 

“Hey Ash. Squirtle is playing in the tub if Pikachu wants to join him.”

Pikachu looks excitedly over at his trainer. Ash gives the little guy a smile and nods his head in approval. The mouse then darts away into the bathroom.

“So where should we go tomorrow? As you said earlier, they expect us to go somewhere dangerous since they are giving us a lift.” Ash looks at him with eyebrows narrowed in question as he prepares for the morning just as Gary had done a few minutes ago. 

Gary watches his partner as he sorts out his thoughts. We can’t go anywhere too dangerous since we still only have one pokemon. However, there isn’t much point in going somewhere that only has weak pokemon. Those won’t stand a chance against the dragons. Where can we go that is low risk and has many rare, strong pokemon?

Green eyes widen as he thinks of the perfect place. The Safari Zone. 

“How about the Safari Zone? It is just north of Fuchsia City so they can drop us off there. We would have to pay to get in and weapons are forbidden but the Commander gave us some money to use and the food they give us subdue any pokemon we are trying to catch. It’s a win-win.”

“Sounds good to me.”

With their plan set, the trainers retrieve their pokemon from the tub and dry them off. They didn’t make a mess thankfully. Gary turns off the lights and curls up next to his sleeping Squirtle.

Soon. He will have the perfect team. They better watch their backs because he is coming for them. And he won’t show any mercy. 

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

Favorite/follow/review please!

Next up: Chapter 5 - Capture


	5. Capture

Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.

Warning: They like to swear. Some blood in this chapter too. 

 

Chapter 5 - Capture

Gary is startled awake by a shrill wail. He jumps out of bed holding the gun he stashed under his pillow at the ready. He quickly scans the room to notice that it was just the alarm on the nightstand that woke him from his slumber. There is no enemy. No dragons.

He lowers his gun and turns towards his partner who has a hand over his mouth to hold in his laughter. The raven turns to his alert pokemon. 

“Someone is certainly jumpy this morning huh Pikachu?”

Pikachu gives a giggle of agreement, which angers Gary further.

The brunet throws a harsh glare towards the pair and slams the dismiss button on the alarm. He then turns to make sure he didn’t injure his pokemon with his earlier movements. Upon seeing Squirtle staring up at him sleepily, Gary takes pity on him and recalls him back to his pokeball. You can rest a little bit longer Squirtle.

Gary turns around and crosses his arms over his chest. His partner is still lounging on his bed without a care in the world. Gary quickly grabs his pillow and pelts the raven in the face. 

“Come on loser. We have to get going if you want to eat before we leave.”

At the mention of free food, Ash bolts out of bed for the bathroom. Gary sighs in annoyance and turns back to the yellow rodent. 

“Good luck with that.”

The long narrow ears sag at his comment and it lets loose a soft squeak. Gary smirks at its defeated response. 

The brunet walks over to his pile of gear and changes into a new pair of boxers before sliding into the previous day’s cargo pants. He digs out his necklace from his pack and gently slides it on. Grabbing his belt, he clips it on and checks to see that all of the pouches are in the correct places. He then slides his scabbard through an attachment at his left hip. He is right handed after all. Grabbing his Ka-Bar, he secures it upside down to the left backpack strap for easy access. Sliding the M9 into his belt at the small of his back, he throws on his sleeveless jacket but leaves it unzipped. Finally, he slides his comms set into one of his pants pockets before sliding the black, fingerless gloves over his hands. He turns to look back at Ash’s Pikachu who has been watching him silently. 

“I look good don’t I?” Gary asks the little rodent. Its ears twitch at the question and it cocks its head to the side. Gary hears a snort from behind him as Ash emerges from the bathroom.

“Total lady-killer Gary. Now hurry up. I’m hungry.”

“I’m not the one who just spent five minutes in the bathroom.” Gary mumbles.

Pushing the sleeves up to his elbows he heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth and attempts to fix his hair. Upon emerging, he sees Ash dressed with his black hat perched on top of his head. They put away the rest of their supplies before grabbing their rifles and packs and leaving the room.

Once downstairs, Gary drops their keys off to Nurse Joy while Ash gets them a table at the cafeteria. Gary walks into Ash feeding Pikachu and two loaded trays ready to be demolished. 

After putting their trays in the dirty dishes pile, the trio head out of the Pokemon Center and start walking south. Pikachu hops up onto Ash’s shoulder to avoid being stepped on. The streets are awash with citizens heading to work but the young soldiers can see the tall wall in the distance. It honestly won’t do much protection wise if a strong pokemon decides to attack but at least it prevents weaker ones from straying into the city.

Gary nods to the older armed soldiers stationed at the gate 20 minutes later. 

“Team Alpha. Oak and Ketchum. Reporting in for retrieval.”

The officer in charge glances down at the sheet in his hands and nods at the two. Ash leads Gary away to lean against the thick wall. They have about 10 minutes to kill.

Gary watches the other half of the Four approach at a brisk walk. They announce their arrival and stand at the ready.

From the corner of his eye, Gary sees Ash push off the wall and head over to the Beta team. That is when he hears it. The steady whirring of helicopter blades. Gary joins the small group at the gate just as the copter touches down. 

The Four quickly climb aboard and strap themselves in. They pull out their comms set and detach the 6 inch mouthpiece from the side. Gary bends the pole giving it a slight curve before sliding the earpiece in place. He adjusts the microphone to the correct position for it to pick up anything he says. 

Giving a thumbs up, the brunet signals that he is ready for take-off. He looks over to see Ash strapping Pikachu to him. The other give the all clear and they are in the air.

“Team Alpha. Where is your drop point?” Gary turns to see the co-pilot looking at him. 

“Fuchsia City.” He responds. The co-pilot nods and then turns to the redhead. Is she the leader of their team?

“Team Beta?” 

“Cerulean City.”

“Then Alpha will be dropped off first so we can circle back easily. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

After a few minutes of silence, Ash turns towards the other pair. 

“Are you going to Cerulean to catch some water pokemon?” James turns to look at his partner. He hesitates for a moment before nodding his head. 

What is with the hesitation? That was an easy question. There is literally nothing there but water pokemon. 

“Awesome. Good luck to you guys!” Ash responds cheerfully. 

The line goes silent once more and remains that way for the remainder of the flight. A long three hours later, Ash and Gary are jumping onto a beach and covering their eyes from the whirling sand kicked up from the copter blades. 

They watch as the chopper disappears over the city and into the distance to the north. Suddenly Ash darts to the left. Gary shields his eyes from the bright rays to try to see what caught his partner’s attention. He needs to get some cool sunglasses. 

A small red crab is darting around on the sand trying to get around his partner so it can flee into the ocean. Oh boy. 

“Ash! It’s just a tiny Krabby. Do you really want to waste a pokeball on it?”

“You said I could have as many as I want!” Ash’s response floats back to him as he turns his hat backwards. Releasing a sigh, Gary slowly walks over as he watches the battle unfold. If one could call this a battle. 

“Knock those bubbles away!”

Pikachu darts in front of his trainer to block a few bubbles sent their way with a strong slap of his tail. He begins to store electricity in his cheeks to unleash on the small red creature before him.

“Careful Pikachu. Krabby is weak against electricity and this one looks young too. Just give it a light Thundershock.”

Pikachu nods in understanding and releases a tiny bolt of lightning at its opponent. The Krabby jolts into place and starts to wobble but remains standing. At least the thing has guts. 

“One more time buddy.”

Krabby drops to the ground after the second attack. Electricity jumps across its body as it lays unconscious in the sand. 

Ash grabs a ball from his waist and throws it at the creature. It dissolves into bright white light before the ball drops into the sand. It begins to roll back and forth as the button in the middle lights up. Once. Twice. Thrice. Captured. 

Ash jumps and lets out a cheer. He picks up the pokeball and holds it out to Gary who has caught up to him during the quick battle. 

“I caught a Krabby!”

“I can see that. You ready to go to town now Ashy-boy?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Great work buddy.” Ash looks down but Pikachu is not at his feet where he last saw him. He quickly turns in a circle to see his starter sprinting towards a log a short distance away. 

“Pikachu!”

The duo race after the agile mouse as it sits on the log beckoning them over. As they get closer, they hear a pitiful high moan. What the fuck is that?

Rounding the log, the soldiers see a young Lapras washed up on the beach. Blood slowly pours from a long gash in one of its front fins. What is a Lapras doing this far north? Normally they are only around the Orange Islands to the south of Kanto.

Ash quickly kneels down next to the small creature and places his hand on its shell. The transport pokemon whines in fear. She tries to scoot away but is trapped by the log. 

His partner coos softly and pets its neck to try to calm it down.

“Gary we need to carry her to the Pokemon Center. She has lost a lot of blood already and won’t last much longer.” Gary notices the determination on his partner’s face. 

“Lapras weigh almost 500 pounds, Ash. Even this little baby is going to be way too heavy to carry. Plus we don’t want to jostle that wound. One of us is going to have to capture it.”

His partner looks down at the injured pokemon at his feet. It is no longer trying to retreat but is watching them wearily from down in the sand. 

“I’ll do it. Pikachu was the one to find her after all.” Ash leans closer to whisper to the Lapras.

“Hey Lapras. My name is Ash and this is Gary and Pikachu. We are going to get you some help ok? But you are too heavy for us to carry so I am going to put you in this pokeball. Don’t worry. It’s only for a few minutes so we can move you, ok?”

Ash shows the pokemon the ball in his hand who takes a brief look at it before looking back at the raven. He presses the button on the device causing Lapras to disappear into the ball. 

Ash is already up and running across the beach even as the ball is rolling in his pocket. Gary and Pikachu catch up to him quickly due to longer legs and Agility, respectively. 

They soon see the Fuchsia’s southern gate and are quickly spotted by the guards.

“Halt! State your business in Fuchsia!”

Did they seriously not see us come in on the helicopter 15 minutes ago? We still have our uniforms on too. These guys are idiots.

“Team Alpha. Oak and Ketchum. We have a seriously injured pokemon. Sorry!” Ash pants out as he rushes right by them. 

Gary slows to flash his Military ID before sprinting to catch back up with Ash and Pikachu who are already running into the Pokemon Center ahead. 

Gary bursts through the doors and follow Ash and the nurse into the back room. Wait is that Nurse Joy? 

Ash releases the Lapras onto a gurney so Nurse Joy can look over the injury. After several minutes of careful observation and some poking and prodding, she calls over a Chansey to wheel the Lapras into the Operating Room.

“Well it looks like that Lapras got hit by a harpoon, the poor thing. The black market pirates in the Orange Islands must have been after its pod. We will do everything we can.”

She then quickly follows after Chansey and Lapras. Gary leads Ash back to the waiting room where they sit on the couch and wait. Pikachu hops onto Ash’s lap and watches the doors expectantly.

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

It’s been five hours already. Is the wound really that bad? The blade must have torn through more muscle than I thought.

Ash fidgets in place as he glances towards the operating room doors again. The light above the door is still red. The operation isn’t over yet. 

Ash glances around the Pokemon Center. There is another Chansey manning the front desk but they are alone in the waiting room. 

Feeling a sudden weight on his shoulder, he turns to see his partner’s large hand resting there. 

“Why don’t you heal that Krabby of yours since we are here Ash? I’m going to head over to the cafeteria to get us a snack.”

Ash watches as the brunet stands and walks down the hallway and around the corner. With a sigh he moves Pikachu off his lap and heads over to the front desk. The Chansey releases a happy chime in greeting.

“Can I have my Krabby looked at please? It has received some electrical damage.” Chansey chimes again before placing a tray with six slots on the desk. Ash removes Krabby’s ball from his belt and places it into the first slot in the tray. Chansey waddles into the back room as Ash goes back to his bench. 

Gary returns a few minutes later with snacks and some pokemon food. He releases Squirtle and they all eat in silence. 

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

The sun has fully set by the time the light above the door dims and the exhausted nurse emerges. Ash quickly stands with a worried expression and heads over with his partners trailing behind him.

“How is Lapras? Is she ok?”

“Well, she is very weak and tired. She has lost a lot of blood and has an infection. We need to keep her under observation for a day or two, but she should be fine with plenty of rest and care.”

Ash releases a sigh of relief at the news. He pats the mouse perching shoulder who had let out a happy squeak.

“Hear that buddy? She is going to be ok. Thank you so much Nurse…?” He trails off in question.

“Joy. My name is Nurse Joy.” The woman states. At the bewildered looks from the soldiers, she smiles softly.

“Ahh. You must’ve met one of my relatives. We all look alike, are all named Joy and are all Nurses. Family reunions are always interesting.”

“Gotcha.” No way that's true. They must be clones or at the very least twins. But who names both twins the same name?

Ash jolts from his thoughts by Gary’s voice. 

“Well it is too late to go to the Safari Zone now so we might as well go tomorrow. Would we be able to grab a room Nurse Joy?”

As Gary follows Nurse Joy to grab their room keys, Ash feels a tug on his arm. He looks down to see the Chansey from earlier holding a tray with a single pokeball.

“Krabby! Thank you for fixing him up for me Chansey.” Chansey’s voice rings out in acknowledgement before it retreats back to the operating room. Ash attaches Krabby onto his belt between Pikachu’s and Lapras’ pokeballs and follows Gary to their room. 

Once both soldiers and pokemon are fed, they retreat back upstairs to get some rest. However, Ash lies awake worrying about the young injured pokemon downstairs. 

Even if Lapras fully recovers, Nurse Joy said that its family is probably all dead at the hands of the pirates. I doubt it even knows how to get home. 

Ash turns onto his side and slowly falls into an uneasy sleep with dreams full of blood and sharp knives.

 

xxx---War of the Dragon Riders---xxx

Favorite/follow/review please!

Next up: Chapter 6 – Safari Zone


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